Research News - February 20, 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Attention SAS users!

Partners is in the process of negotiating pricing for SAS Analytics. Can you take five minutes and complete the survey at the embedded link?  This survey will help us determine SAS products and versions to include in the agreement. Kindly respond by 5pm 3/1/15.  Thanks for your time!

You may open the survey in your web browser by clicking the link below:
SAS Usage Survey

If the link above does not work, try copying the link below into your web browser:
https://redcap.partners.org/redcap/surveys/?s=RjAuvyGpg5

Enterprise Research Infrastructure & Services 
Partners Research Information Services & Computing

2. Core of the Week: MGH Biomedical Informatics Core

MGH Biomedical Informatics Core
Director: Timothy W. Clark
Location: 65 Landsdowne Street, Suite 200, Cambridge, MA 02139

The MGH Biomedical informatics Core (MGH BMIC) serves the information management and analysis needs of the MGH/Partners/Harvard research community as well as non-profit organizations and industry. MGH BMIC has expertise in biomedical informatics, and leverages re-usable tools developed by the group to offer services in a cost-effective manner.

To learn more about the MGH Biomedical Informatics Core, please click here.

3. PCORI Update: Big Data Twitter Chat, Upcoming Board Meeting

Please click here to read the latest news from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

EVENTS

1. Communicating within Study Teams

Tuesday, March 24, 12:00 - 1:00pm, Simches Room 3.110

Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of each member of a clinical research study team is an essential element of its success.  But sometimes these conversations can be challenging.

Come join Kathy Hall, MS, ANP-BC, Nursing Director, MGH Clinical Research Center, and your colleagues as we use a case-based approach to discussing ways to effectively communicate about delegation of responsibility within study teams. Kathy’s presentation will be followed by facilitated discussion amongst the group. Please come prepared to share stories of your own challenges and success.

Registration is required. Please contact Jillian Tonelli with any questions.

2. Bedside to Bench: Recognizing and studying patients that lead to new discoveries

Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 8:00am - 5:00pm, Armenise Amphitheatre, 200 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 

Course Directors: Stephanie Seminara M.D. FACP and Joel Hirschhorn M.D., Ph.D.

This is a new course that will target clinicians and clinical investigators who seek to expand their involvement in research by identifying opportunities for translating clinical observations to scientific discovery. Topics covered will include: identifying clinical opportunities for discovery (e.g. unusual patients/pedigrees) ; accessing cores, tools, and technologies for data analysis, clinical interpretation of DNA sequence data; issues related to the IRB and participant recruitment.

Target Audience - The target audience is largely clinicians and clinical/translational researchers who would be in the position of seeing interesting patients/families, and interested in having them studied or even studying the patients themselves but might not be sure what to do next, what characteristics make a patient interesting/valuable for research, and are interested in learning about what resources are available.

Registration is required. Please contact Jillian Tonelli with any questions.

3. HMS Faculty Seminar - Communicating with Potential Donors: A Panel Discussion with the MGH Development Office

Wednesday, March 4, 2015, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Location provided upon registration

The Center for Faculty Development’s Office for Women’s Careers presents a seminar for MGH faculty with HMS academic appointments.

This panel discussion will feature the MGH Development Office and women faculty with successful fundraising experience. Come learn how you can help raise donations for your work!

Communicating with Potential Donors: A Panel Discussion with the MGH Development Office

Faculty with HMS academic appointments, please click here to register by Wed, Feb 25.

4. Join the Research Technical Lunch

Thursday, February 26, 12-2PM, WebEx or Prudential Center

This month, Ishir Bhan, MD, MPH, Director of Informatics, MGH Nephrology will update us on his department’s clinical research management systems and IT infrastructure. Scott MacLean, Deputy CIO and Director of IS Operations - PHS will present on “The evolution of Partners IS:  A continuing pursuit of enabling technology to support the Partners mission.” The monthly Tech Lunch is an important forum for research IT administrators and managers to engage with ERIS, Partners IS and each other regarding IT services, technologies, security and infrastructure. RSVP Online by 2/24 and note if you plan to attend remotely so that details are sent.  Visit the website and contact rcc@partners.org with questions about Tech Lunch.

5. Call for Abstracts! 2015 Research Fellow Poster Celebration

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The ORCD's Research Fellow Poster Celebration will take place on May 27, 2015. The Poster Celebration highlights the excellent research being done by MGH postdoctoral fellows. The Call for Abstracts is now open! All MGH postdocs are invited to submit your research abstract now to present your research to the MGH community at this high-profile event and compete for cash prizes.

Abstracts are due Thu, Mar 19 at 5:00 pm.

Please click here for instructions and abstract submission materials.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. HMS Foundation Funds: Opportunities for Faculty and Fellows

Information on funding opportunities offered through the HMS Foundation Funds is now available online at: www.hms.harvard.edu/foundationfunds

Each year several foundations invite HMS junior faculty members and postdocs to apply for their fellowships and grants, which serve as critical funding at the early stages of a research career. For awards that limit the number of applicants from Harvard, interested investigators must first apply for the HMS nomination through the HMS Foundation Funds, and a committee will select the final candidates to submit applications to the foundations.

The following opportunities may be applied to via HMS:

• Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award
• Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists
• Burroughs Wellcome Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases
• Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program
• Grunebaum Cancer Research Fellowship
• Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship Program
• Searle Scholars Program
• W.T. Grant Scholars Program

Researchers interested in applying for any of the awards listed above can apply for the HMS nomination by submitting an application online no later than Tuesday, April 7, 2015 by 5:00PM

Please direct all inquiries to Betty Carbunari, Office of the HMS Dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs, 617-432-7463, Betty_Carbunari@hms.harvard.edu

The selection process for the following opportunities is handled by MGH ECOR. To view MGH’s internal process on applying for limited submission funding opportunities as well as corresponding deadlines, please click here. For more information, please visit the ECOR website.

• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Accelerator Award
• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Career Initiator Award
• ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes: Diabetes Research Visionary Award
• Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant
• Pew Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences
• Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research

If you have any questions regarding applying for a limited funding opportunity through MGH, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

2. NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant Program (S10)

The NIH ORIP's Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) program supports the purchase of research equipment in the $100,000 to $600,000 price range. Examples of instrumentation supported by SIG funding include nuclear magnetic resonance systems, electron and confocal microscopes, mass spectrometers, protein and DNA sequencers, biosensors, X-ray diffractometers and cell sorters.

The MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) has again committed funding to provide institutional support of $50,000 (for up to 10 funded grants) this year for Shared Instrumentation Grant proposals. ECOR has made this commitment because it recognizes that institutional support greatly increases the likelihood that a SIG application will be funded.

Several required application components for submitting an S10 grant to the NIH were changed in 2014 for this call and ECOR will be preparing this information and including it with the institutional letter of support.  The changes include:

• The institution must now explicitly state a commitment to provide financial support for the proposed financial plan should a shortfall be experienced due to a lack of other grant funding or chargeback/volume fluctuations (see Sect. IV).
  • A separate communication will be sent directly to department chiefs addressing the support of financial plans for submitted applications.
• The institution must also provide a Letter of Support that includes a table that provides information about instrument performance of all previous S10 awards for instruments awarded or installed within the past five years.
  • To meet this requirement, any recipient of an S10 award from 2010-present will be asked to provide specific details that will be used to support all shared instrumentation grants going forward. A separate email will be sent directly to the PIs to which this applies.

How to Apply
Due to increased administrative components required for these grants to be submitted for review going forward, we ask that any investigator who will be seeking institutional support to email their intent to apply to ecor@partners.org no later than Friday, March 6. This email should simply be a statement of intent to apply with the contact information for the PI intending to apply as well as their administrator. Once we have received this email, we will contact you with next steps on how to proceed.

If you have questions, please contact MGH ECOR at ecor@partners.org or call Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

Please note that while the deadline for S10 grants in past years was in March, the deadline is now May 29, 2015.

3. Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards for Junior Faculty Women Investigators in Basic & Clinical Research

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards!

What are the Claflin Awards?
Although women scientists are recruited to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) programs, their advancement to senior faculty positions is still far less frequent than that of their male counterparts.  In 1993, The Women in Academic Medicine Committee, originally chaired by Mrs. R. Morton Claflin, Honorary Trustee, was established to facilitate the academic careers of women in science at MGH.  Recognizing that a significant obstacle to career advancement is the difficulty of maintaining research productivity during the child-rearing years, this Committee, with the sponsorship of the Executive Committee On Research (ECOR), established the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards.  It is intended that this transitional funding will increase opportunities for women to advance to senior positions in academic medicine.

How much is each award?
These are two year awards for $50,000 per year in direct costs, plus 15% for indirect costs.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - 9:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Click here to read more and apply online!

4. Private Funding Opportunities 

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu if you wish to submit a proposal in response to any of these funding opportunities.  Note that proposals are still routed through the standard InfoEd/Research Management process.

• Developmental Disabilities Translational Research Program, John Merck Fund (JMF)
• TED Prize, Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED)
• Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
• Biomedical Research Collaboration Award, Hartwell Foundation
• Center Support, Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine
• NHF-Baxter Clinical Fellowship Program, National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

5. Limited Submission Funding Opportunities

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for any limited submission award submit a Letter of Intent (see detailed instructions below) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) by the deadline indicated for each award to be considered to receive an institutional nomination.

Process
Submit a one- to two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) via email to ecor@partners.org.  In addition to your LOI, please include an NIH Biosketch.

The letter of intent should include:

• Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information 
• A descriptive title of the potential application
• Brief description of the project 
• Brief description of why you specifically should be selected to receive institutional nomination for this award

In the event that there is more than one MGH investigators interested in applying for each limited submission award, the LOIs will be used to assess candidates and a review and selection process will take place.

Current Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
Please click here for more information and for our internal deadlines.

• NIAMS Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Centers (P30)
• NIAMS Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine Resource-based Centers (P30)
• American Diabetes Association Pathway to Stop Diabetes Research Awards
• Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant - NEW!
• NIAMS Rheumatic Diseases Research Resource-based Centers (P30)

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed above or you have any additional questions, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

6. NIH Update for Week Ending February 20, 2015

For the latest National Institutes of Health notices, requests for applications, and program announcements, follow this link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm
 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Reminders of recently posted funding opportunities, deadlines and events

Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards for Junior Faculty Women Investigators in Basic & Clinical Research
Application Deadline:  March 3

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Funding
Application Deadline: March 7, 7th day of each month

2015 Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Clinical Fellowship Awards
Application Deadline: March 10

MGH Physician and/or Scientist Development Award 2015
Application Deadline: March 20

The Conquer Paralysis Now (CPN) Challenge
Application Deadline: April 1

Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC) Accepting PILOT & DRIVE Grant Pre-Proposals

Save the Date! SAC 2015 - April 1 & 2, 2015

2015 World Medical Innovation Forum - Neurosciences - April 27-29

New Biographical Sketch Format Required for NIH and AHRQ Grant Applications Submitted - May 25

Register for the Employee Alert System (EAS) today!

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@mgh.harvard.edu